20 Licks: Back To The Blues

It doesn't matter which style you prefer on the guitar, you probably started with (or later discovered) the Blues! Many genres and big named players can trace their influences right back to the Blues in some way. In this pack, Denny combines tried and tested classic Blues material, with a fresh modern spin to deliver a very creative and inspired set of Blues licks!

Denny says - The aim here is to create licks that combine the regular minor pentatonic with the Mixolydian mode. What we end up with is a hybrid scale that has both major and minor tonality. This represents the next step for Blues players who feel locked into that classic pentatonic box shape.

Throughout this package you will find lots of simple but effective ways of spicing up your Blues lines with this hybrid major/minor approach. You'll learn how to incorporate some chromatic passing tones, semitone bends, and you'll also learn how to shift tonality as the chords change by targeting the R 3rd 5th and 7th of each chord. There are also other little devices that will help you to think more melodically and harmonically, therefore more musically.

It's not all about the scales though; 'That's the great thing about the Blues... the notes all come from scales, but you never actually "play scales". It's all about phrasing and playing to the chords!' Denny creatively exploits this minor/major ambiguity at the heart of so much blues playing, with a focus on rhythmic variety, phrasing and melodic development.

As ever, we have included everything you need to practise and perfect the material in this package. There are video and audio tracks for you to watch/listen and study, accurately transcribed TAB/notation for you to analyse and master as well as backing tracks for you to practise every lick to, and jam out your own solos! We've even included some text notes to help you really get these parts down!